Collapsible boat.



P. KANKKONEN. GOLLAPSIBLE BOAT.

APPLICATION PILBD SEPT. 23, 1912.

Patented July 15, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

EIEJL- @ttor/nuja COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH Co.. WASHINGTON, u. c.

F. KANKKONEN. GOLLAPSIBLE BOAT. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23, 1912.

1,067,659. -Ptentea July 1'5, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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F. KANKKONBN.

COLLAPSIBLE BOAT. Y APPLIUATION FILED 531mm', 1912.

` 1,067,659. Patented July 15, 1913.

3 SHEETS*SHEET 3.

J\ I k 4TED STATES FAN FRANS KANKKONEN, OF ASTORIA, OREGON.

COLLAPSIBLE BOAT.

Application filed September 23, 1912.

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Be it known that I, F HANS KANnKoNnN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Astoria, in the county of Clatsop and State of Oregon, have invented Certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Boats; and do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to boats, and more especially to those which are flexible so that they may be folded or collapsed; and the object of the same is to produce a life saving boat capable of being collapsed to a small compass so that it may be carried on shipboard ready for instant use in case of emergency.

The invention consists in the specific details of construct-ion whereby this idea is carried out, all as hereinafter more fully described and claimed and as shown in the drawings wherein- Figure l is a side elevation and Fig. 2 is a plan view of this improved boat ready for use; and Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the same; Figs. t and are enlarged cross sect-ions on the lines 4-4 and 5 5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of the distending mechanism, with the hub of the intermediate spider shown in section, and Fig. 7 is a cross section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the right-hand spider shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a detail partly in section showing the connection of the outer end of one brace member with a rib, and Fig. l() is a cross section on the line lO-lO of Fig. 9. F ll is an enlarged section detail of the floating valve and the means for admitting air to the air-tight compartments.

This improved boat is built with a perfectly straight keel 1 covered with iron or other metal so as to protect the material of the keel and aiford ballast for the boat, and the stems 2 and 3 at the bow and stern are connected with the extremities of said keel b v knuckle joints or hinges Li so that they may be turned outward slight-ly in collapsthe boat but may not turn inward farther than as shown in Fig. 1, because when they turn in that position the knuckle hinges are closed. Overlying the keel and extending throughout the length of the same is a board 5 somewhat wider than the keel Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 15, 1913.

Serial No. 721,901.

and constituting a sill, and above this board m turn stands the keelson 6 braced to the board by means of brass knees 7; and when the stems 2 and are turned in to the position shown in Fig. l they lie against the extremities of said sill and keelson and are braced thereby. Each stem carries the outer leaves S of a number of hinges, whose inner leaves 9 are secured to the extremities of longitudinal ribs lO whereof four are shown on each side of the boat in the present instance, although there may be a greater or lesserl number. The gunwale l1 is likewise hinged to the upper ends of the stems 2 and 3 and may carry rowlocks l2 as shown. When the boat is distended said ribs are bowed outward and the gunwale more than any rib, and all these members are depressed at about their midlength; and it follows that the pintles of the hinges connecting their extremities with the stems will at this time stand on diiferent lines from what they will stand when the boat is collapsed and all the longitudinal members are straight. But under these conditions the stems are turned outward around their hinges 4, and the pintles of all the hinges connecting the longitudinal members with said stems stand vertical. The seats 13 rest in the present instance on the uppermost ribs when the boat is distended. lt is obvious that when the boat is distended and t-he seats are in place, they serve to hold it distended or to assist in holding it distended.

Mounted in eye-bolts 2O which rise from the keelson is a telescopic shaft consisting of a solid rod 21 having teeth 22 in its upper edge, and a tubular section 23 embracing said rod and having a slot or interruption 24 overlying the teeth. One end of the rod is connected as at 25 with one extremity of the keelson and extends thence into the end of the tubular section, but the latter slides through the eye-bolts for a purpose which will presently appear. Secured upon said section 23 at various points (at three points as shown herein) are spiders 26 each having a beveled periphery 27 provided with a number of hemispherical sockets 28, and secured to said periphery in any suitable way as by bolt-s 29 is a beveled ring 30 having hemispherical sockets 8l adapted to register with those in the periphery 27 and pierced with holes 32 leading into these sockets. In each of the latter is mounted a spherical head or ball 33 carried by a shank Sii which projects through said hole 32 and is connected with a tube section 35; and into the other end of this section passes a rod 36 rendered adjustable therein by means of a nut 37-the whole making up a brace member having a balland-socket connection with the spider at its inner end and a suitable connection at its outer end with one of the ribs or one of the gunwales. In F ig. 9 are shown the details of this attachment, wherein the outer end of the rod 36 is formed into an eye Ll0 loosely embracing and linked into a ring or staple 4l secured to the rib. In a boat of about the proportions shown in the drawings, there will be three such spiders and sets of rings, and it is obvious that when the tube section 23 is moved longitudinally7 upon the rod 2l the outer ends of the braces will cause the ribs and gunwales to bow outwardly, the proper degree of bowing being induced by making the braces of proper length as will be clearly understood by any one versed in shipbuilding.

The means which ispreferably employed for adjusting the distension of this collapsible boat consists in providing one of the spiders with a sleeve 50 surrounding the tube section 23, and pivoting to said sleeve at 5l a lever 52 whose'lower end carries a pawl 53 projecting downward through the interruption 24s in the tubular section 23 and engaging the teeth 22 in the solid` section 2l; and the sleeve also carries a retaining pawl 54: engaging the saine teeth-these,pawls being pressed into active position by means of springs 55 and 56 as best seen in F ig. 6. IV ith this construction. it will be obvious that when the lever 52 is moved on its pivot in one direction, the pawl 53 engaging the toothed rod 2l causes the tubular section 23 to be moved along upon said rod, and the retaining pawl 54e holds vthesetelescopic inembers while the lever is being moved in the opposite direction for a new bite of its pawl. As above explained, the movement of the tube section carries all the spiders in a proper direction to throw the braces outward and distend the ribs and gunwales; and when the boat is to be again collapsed the pawls are raised out ofengagement with the teeth in the rod 2l, after which the tube section 23 wit-h all its spidersmay be allowed to move in the opposite direction so that the outer ends of vt-he braces are drawn inward as desired.

The body of this boat is made of heavy canvas or other suitable iieXible material, rendered waterproof and air-tight in any suitable manner, and applied in such a way that it will exclude the waterand will retain the air in its air-compartments described below. This covering'() is secured to one .gunwale ll, passes thence downward outside the several ribs l0, under the sill 5 and over the keel l, and upward over the ribs l0 4at proper braces in the endmost series as shown, and the ridge-pole 62 of each deck passes under the highest point oit the canvas and is hinged at its outer end at 63 to the stem, while its inner end is connected by an eyebolt 6awith the keelsoii and keel so as to prevent it from being elevated too high when the boat is raised by the davit-hooks rthat are engaged with the eyes of these bolts.

Buoyancy is imparted to this boat by providing it with air-compartments at both ends -and under its decks, and each compartment is produced by the provision of a cross partition of canvas which is secured at its upper edge to the deck covering 6l and at its side edges to the body covering 60. By

vpreference I also forni another compartment along the bottom of the boat, which is produced by stretching a canvas sheet 73 from the third rib upward from the keel on one side, downward under the second rib, thence across and over the keelson at the point 74, under the second rib of the other side` and upward to the third rib at this side of the boat; and at suitable points this false bottom of canvas may be sustained by means of hooks 75 depending from certain oit the seats and engaging screw eyes 75 whose Shanks pass through the canvas sheet, and are seated in longitudinal wooden strips 76 locatedwithin this bottom air-compartment.

rIhe endmost compartments may be provided with internally threaded collars or nipples` 77, and the intermediate compartment with a like nipple 78, and `with all oi them are detachably connected air-tightscrew couplings 79, each at the inner end of a short section 80 of hose having at its outer end a hollow rubber ball 81, as best seen in Fig. 1l. In the upper side of each ball is an opening S2 forming a seat 'for a valve 83 whichcloses upwardly by means of a light spring 84. The construction shown in Fig. 1l is only illustrative of one manner oiy carrying out this detail of construction. This view also shows in dotted lines how the hose-coupliiig 79 could be detached from the nipple 77 and a smaller hose 85 passed through the opening in the nipple 77 and allowed 'to hang within the compartment, so that a pump 88 attlie outer end of this smaller hose could be used to pump water out Vof the compartment in case the latter should'leak.l Or, an air pump might be attached to the nipple 77, and the compartment forcibly blown up. The idea is that, lwhen the ship sinks quickly or unexpectedly,

there is but little time and unich confusion in which to launch the life boats. If one of my improved construction is thrown overboard or washed from the deck, two sailors could open it even while swimming 'in the watere-one of them manipulating the lever 52 so as to distend the sides of the boat and cause the air-compartments to suck in air through the valves S3 which are above the water level by reason of the tltmting ball Sl. and the other sailor putting in the seats as soon as the sides of the boat have been distended sufficiently. ln folding this craft for storage upon the deck, the valves are opened so as to permit the deflation of the air compartment, the pawls and raised, and the tube section Q3 allowed to slip along on the rod 2l so that the various braces permit the ribs and gunwales to straighten out as their hinge-connections with the stems at the extremities of the koel will permit. ln doing this the sides of the boat approach each other and the stems swing outward around their hinges 4, but the ridge-poles 62 of the endmost air-compartments can not rise on account of the eye bolts which hold them down. The seats are lifted olf the ribs which sustain them and hooked to the keelson as above described, and in its collapsed condition the entire boat will occupy a space of about thirty inches in diameter, its length being a little over BO feet. Vhen occasion arises for the use of the boat its framework is disteuded in the manner above described, the eye bolts connected with the davit hooks, and the craft let over the shigs side and down into the water, unless the accidentoccurs so quickly that the life boats are thrown overboard or washed overboard as above described. After the air-tight compartments are filled with air, the use of the life boat follows that of any other life-saving craft, and need not be amplified here. An airpump might be connected with the nipples and air pumped into the compartments. i would say that a thirty foot boat having a beam of about eight feet will carry from thirty to fifty passengers, and yet would be so light that but two people would be required to lift it or to launch it. Obviously it is no heavier when the air compartments are inflated than when they are deflated. have described my preferred form of ball and socket connection between the braces and the spiders, but it is clear that other flexible connections might be used at this point, possibly somewhat similar to the connect-ions at the outer ends of the braces as also described. l consider the nuts 37 within the length of the braces important because their use permits the adjustment of such length so that the braces when distended will hold out the ribs properly and the nuts can be turned to make them do so. TWhile I have shown but three spiders and sets of ribs in the drawings, it is obvious that a greater or lesser number might be employed according to the size of the boat.

Having thus described my invention, what l. claim is;

l. ln a collapsible boat, the combination with a. rigid keel, a rigid keelson mounted thereon, substantially upright stems hinged to the extremities of said keel and adapted to lie against the extremities of said keelson, and longitudinal flexible members connecting these stems; of a flexible covering inclosing the framework, a longitudinally movable member mounted on the keelson, and a plurality of distenders carried by said member and each including a spider and a series of braces loosely connected at their inner ends with the spider and at their outer ends with said flexible members, for the purpose set forth.

2. in a collapsible boat, the combination with a framework including a rigid keel, upright stems hinged to the extremities thereof, and longitudinal flexible members connecting said stems; of a flexible covering inclosing the framework, and a distending device including a rod connected with said keel at one end of the latter, a tube section slidably mounted on the rod, means for moving it longitudinally thereon at will, spiders secured to the tube section, and oblique braces flexibly connected at their inner extremities to said spiders and at their outer extremities to said flexible members, for the purpose set forth.

3. in a collapsible boat, the combination with a framework including a rigid keel, upright stems hinged to the extremities thereof, and longitudinal flexible members connecting said stems; of a flexible covering inclosing the framework, and a distending device including a rod connected with said keel at one end of the latter, a tube section slidably mounted on the rod, means for moving it longitudinally thereon at will, spiders secured to said tube section and having beveled peripheries provided with hemispherical sockets, beveled rings surrounding said peripheries and themselves provided with registering sockets and with holes opening from the same, balls fitting said sockets and having shanks projecting loosely through said holes, and braces connected at their inner ends with said shanks and loosely connected at their outer ends with said flexible members, for the purpose set forth.

t. ln a collapsible boat, the combination with a framework including a rigid keel, upright stems hinged to the extremities thereof, and longitudinal flexible members connecting said stems; of a flexible covering inclosing the framework, and a distending device including a rod connected with said keel at one end of the latter, a tube section slidably mounted on the rod, means for moving it longitudinally thereon at will, spiders secured to said tube section, and

braces loosely connected at their inner ends` to said spiders and at their outer ends to said flexible members, and each brace composed of an inner tubular section and an outer solid section telescoping thereinto, and a nut on the/solid section against the end of the tubular section, for the purpose set forth.

5. In a (,:ollapsible boat, the combination with a skeleton framework including a rigid keel, substantially upright stems pivoted to the extremities thereof, and longitudinal flexible members loosely connecting said stems; of a flexible covering inclosing 'the framework, and a distending device including a rod connected at one end with said keel and having ratchet teeth, a tube section slidably mounted on said rod and having a longitudinal slot aliningr with its teeth, spiders on said tube section, braces loosely connected at their inner ends with said spiders and at their outer ends with said flexible members, a sleeve connected with one spider, a lever pivoted in the sleeve, and a pawl carried by the lever and projecting through said slot and engaging said teeth, for the purpose set forth.

6. In a collapsible boat, the conllfiination with'a skeleton fran'iework including a rigid keel, substantially upright stems pivoted to the extremities thereof, and longitudinal flexible members loosely connecting said stems; of a flexible covering inclosing the framework, and a distending device including a rod connected at one end with said keel and having ratchet teeth, a tube section slidably mounted on said rod and having a longitudinal slot alining with its teeth, spiders'on said tube section, braces loosely connected at their inner ends with said spiders and at their outer ends with said flexible members, a sleeve secured to one of said spiders, a lever pivoted .within the sleeve, a pawl pivoted tothe inner end of the lever and projecting through said slot and engaging said teeth, a spring for throwing this 1 pawl normally into engagement with said teeth, a :retaining pawl also pivoted to the sleeve'and projecting through the slot, and a spring for throwing the tip of this pawl normally into engagement` with said teeth, for the purpose set forth.

7. In a collapsible boat, the combination with a keel having an upright stem at each end, a hinge connection between each stem and the keel, a number of longitudinal members flexibly connected at their extremities with said stems, ridge poles each hinged at its outer end 'to one of the stems, and an eye bolt connecting its inner end with the keel; of aI flexible cover inclosing said framework and secured at its edges to the uppermost of said flexible members, the cover of the ends of the craft being carried over said ridge poles to form decks at those points, and a distending device including a longitudinally movable rod, a plurality of spiders thereon, braces flexibly connected at their inner ends with said spiders and at their outer ends with said flexible members, and

additional braces in the endmost spidersfor distending the covering formingV said decks.

- 8. In a collapsible boat, the combination .with a keel having an upright stem at each end, a hinge connection between each stem and the keel, a number of longitudinal members flexibly connected at their extremities with said stems, ridge poles each hinged at its outer end to one of the stems, and an eye bolt connecting its inner end with the keel; of a flexible cover inclosing said framework and secured at its edges to the uppermost of said flexible members, the cover at the ends of the craft being carried over said ridge poles to form decks at those points, and a distending device including a longitudinally movable rod, a plurality of spiders thereon, braces flexibly connected at their inner ends with said spiders and at their outer ends with said flexible members, braces from the endmost spiders for distending the covering forming said decks, and at the inner end of each ridge pole a cross partition of flexible material connected with the inner edges of the deck covering and carried thence downward into the hull and producing an air-compartment at the end of the boat.

9. In a life boat, the combination with the keel, longitudinal ribs, and upright stems; of a canvas covering inclosing the framework, the keelson secured upon the keel, the cross seats, and a canvas sheet extending from the third rib downward within the covering and under the second rib thence across over the keelson, under the second rib at the other side and upward to the third rib so as to produce an air space along the bottom of the boat, strips extend` ing longitudinally beneath this convas sheet, upright hooks leading from certain of the seats downward, and screw eyes whose Shanks pass through the canvas and engage with said strips.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence 0f two subscribing witnesses.

FRANS KANKKONEN. Witnesses 1 JOHN I-I. SMITH, CHARLES, ANET.

Gopies `et. this patent may be obtained for Vfive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents.

Washington, D. C." 

